IWP help with Container Field

Title

Post

12 Advanced Client (I work in Windows, but most of the people I support are on MACs)

12 Server (I know very little about the server side, the IT department manages that, the Server is running Windows)

Problem:

Need to replace the contents of a container field displayed in IWP either through (a) IWP click even or (b) scheduled updates.

Old Process:

I’ve used FM for over a decade to manage what we call our “Reelection Process” for about 3,000 employees (EE). Each year I download the relevant data from our Human Resources Management System (Oracle) and “Seed” a new file for the next school year. We track salary changes, promotions, demotions, lateral transfers, resignation, retirements, etc. – basically anything that changes the conditions of employment for each EE. Toward the end of may I print paper employment documents (about 17,000-18,000 sheets of paper) that we then QA and stuff into 9x12 envelopes to send out to the schools/departments. About 2,000 of them are contracts that must be signed and returned and we use FM to track those returns.

New Process:

I’m starting from scratch and have been redesigning the system with two major improvements, The first is the use a date track system so that the file will contain multiple years instead (1 EE: N records) vice the old system which was 1 EE:1 Record. In the old system the paper personnel file was the “record of truth”, in the new system the record of truth is electronic. The second improvement is the one where I’m having trouble. The new process will be similar to the old one but instead of physically printing the paper documents, they will be placed in a container field. Through and IWP interface the EE logins into their account and is presented with a historical list of their employment documents. Documents are displayed as “No Action Required” or “Accept/Decline” for contracts. Once a person either accepts or declines the contract the status display is updated to “No Action Required” and the accept/decline buttons are removed.

Once a contract is accepted or declined I capture the User ID of the logged in individual, the data/timestamp of the action, and set a status that tells me the document needs replacement.

Desired Outcome:

Here is what I was hoping to do, but there seems to be a limit on functionality in that IWP interfaces can’t upload documents into container fields.

1. The preferred option is that when the EE clicks accept/decline in the IWP interface a script deleted the current “unsigned” document and replaces it with the “signed” document.

2. Another option would be to have a scheduled server side script that would find updated records and then loop through to replace the container field. When the EE logs in later they then see the “signed” copy of the document.

The document isn't uploaded from from the web browser and the IWP user isn't downloading the documents, physically signing it, scanning it, and then uploading it.

The "Unsigned" PDF is generated by script via client side action (either individually or via a mass-update script I run as the Admin) and automatically uploaded into the container field.

The Employee (EE) gets a notification via email that their document is ready for review.

The EE logs into their account and their documents is available. If the document is a Contract, they need to either accept or decline that contract by clicking the appropriate scripted button. If accepted or declined that is captured as a status along with the User ID and Timestamp. The Accept/Decline buttons are removed and swapped out with a "No Action Required" replacement.

If the Contract is accepted I need to delete the current document in the container field and replace it with one which shows the electronic signature captured at the button click. So where a person would physically sign the contract text is inserted that says "Electronically signed by Mark Mouse on February 3rd, 2015"

I can do all of that from the client side, but...

I can't figure out how to replace the PDF in the container field either with a scheduled script or from a script run in IWP. The only idea I have so far is for me to login to the database a few times a day, I'd test for my personal "admin" login during the client opening script and have if fire the find/loop script for any documents needing replacement, hell - actually I could just have it key to fire for any of the HR staff that logs in. The downside is the "signed" document update is dependent on one of us on the client side getting the script to fire, I'm hoping to automate the process so it runs instantly for that record (giving my EE immediate access to the "signed" copy) or maybe have it fire each hour to replace groups of records.

So I'm not asking the EE to upload the replacement "signed" document, I want to script it to automatically replace the "unsigned" document with a "electronically signed" document and then make that document available to the employee in a timely manner.

What I described was electronically signing the PDF. Adobe offers the ability to "sign" a PDF. That would have required downloading the PDF, I think, but I didn't have in mind anything so extreme as printing, signing, scanning and uploading a new PDF..

I just don't see the need for a mass update run from a periodic schedule that checks for "signed" records.

If the user has to click to "sign" the document. Why can't this click be a click on a button that performs a script to make the needed data changes in your container fields and any other fields needed to document the fact that the EE has "signed' the document?